S African Jailed For Smuggling 12m Worth Of Rhino Horns

A South African man has been sentenced to two years in jail by a court in Singapore for attempting to smuggle rhino horns through the country, Singapore's national parks organisation has said.

This is the lengthiest sentence ever given for trafficking wildlife in the country.

Gumede Sthembiso Joel was arrested at Changi airport in 2022 after he was found with 20 rhino horns weighing 34.7 kg (76.5 lb) in his luggage. They had an estimated value of $1.2m (pound;940,000).

The 33-year-old - who pleaded guilty to violating Singapore's endangered species act - was transporting the contraband to Laos from South Africa.

There is a ban on the trade in rhino horns and the mammals are protected by an international agreement known as Cites.

A large proportion of the world's rhino population, which numbers around 15,000, are in South Africa and poaching is a big threat, the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) says.

In the first half of 2023, there were 231 rhino deaths attributed to poaching, according to the IRF.BBC